Anode nipple

Users who are viewing this thread

lee hancock

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
shallotte NC
I have a Whirlpool E50R6-120 hot water heater, not sure of the age. It works great, we just bought the house. My question is this - There is a black cap on top marked anode, i removed the cap which was adhered with foam. dug around a bit and no anode as far as i can tell. I removed the hot water nipple after draning heater, water was clean. On the nipple was a piece of metal maybe 6-8 inches long, but it was not corroded at all. any ideas on what is happening here. Is this a nipple anode that is simply gone.
Thanks in advance
Lee
 

Reach4

Well-Known Member
Messages
38,797
Reaction score
4,412
Points
113
Location
IL
I have a Whirlpool E50R6-120 hot water heater, not sure of the age. It works great, we just bought the house. My question is this - There is a black cap on top marked anode, i removed the cap which was adhered with foam. dug around a bit and no anode as far as i can tell. I removed the hot water nipple after draning heater, water was clean. On the nipple was a piece of metal maybe 6-8 inches long, but it was not corroded at all. any ideas on what is happening here. Is this a nipple anode that is simply gone.
Thanks in advance
Lee
I definitely expect your theory is correct. Even if it were not correct, you could put an anode under the hot water nipple. An old exhausted anode that you did not find would not stop the new one from working. Some water heaters come with two anodes. Some do that for the 12 year model, and that is the difference from the 6 year model -- other than the warranty.
 

Phog

Active Member
Messages
454
Reaction score
84
Points
28
Location
Rochester NY
The Use & Care Manual for your unit indicates that it possibly has both a traditional anode rod and a combination anode in the hot nipple. You can find a link to download the manual in PDF format here:

http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/products/electric-water-heaters/e50r6-45-110

Screenshot_20200401-172004.png
 

DIYorBust

Active Member
Messages
745
Reaction score
94
Points
28
Location
Long Island, New York
It looks like the nipple rod is a "heat trap/dip tube". If it's made out of aluminum or magnesium it could function as an annode. It sounds to me like both parts should be replaced, especially if you already have removed them which is usually the difficult part. In the past reach4 has mentioned using a plug in anode that lasts indefinitely, or at least until the electrical unit goes, which could be a very long time. However in your case, since it's been without an anode for some time, I'm not sure I'd want to spend the extra time and money on that, but I would change the anode(s) and see how long I can go.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks